The Story So Far...
RESCUING FORGOTTEN CRAFT HISTORY THROUGH ACCESIBLE ART
I'm Imogen, a Heritage Illustrator & Craft Researcher
I don't just create fun notions, art and apparel based on our favourite crafts- I save the forgotten craft stories hidden in archives and translate them into accessible art
We live in a world of fast fashion and disposable trends, so, I'm slowing things down. I spend my time digging through museum archives, debunking popular myths, and modernising history, to find the "why" behind our beloved crafts, and make history feel fun, loved and usable
LETTING HISTORY SHOW THE WAY
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Challenging Inaccesibility
Controversial opinion: History is elitist
To discover history you, most often than not, have to travel to a large museum, or historical setting, walk around and read block text about a specific object or person
I'm challenging that. Everything I find, however weird, wonderful or slightly mythical, I'm sharing with you in the brightest, most fun and graphical ways I possibly can
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Supporting Sustainability
Crafting goes hand-in-hand with sustainability
Making our own items, if and when we need them, from sustainable materials, scraps, thrifts and hand me downs
Everything I do here, I aim to do as sustainably as possible. That's why I try and minimise plastic packaging, and offer digital artwork
I want what I find to be shared, but I'm not going to damage the planet in order to do so
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Keeping it Traditional
Our craft history goes back a long, long, long way. How long? We don't know
But, it's important for the heritage we do know about- we acknowledge those that paved the way
Look at any knitted, crocheted or sewed construction. There's a reason that seam is there, a reason that yarn was used, a reason it's that colour
Throughout history we've made things for a reason, a cause, an intention. My artwork is made with the same idea
Let's celebrate the history of crafting, and share it with our communities so long may it live
Everything you find at InStitchesbyImogen starts with a random piece of stumbled- upon research, and a doodle
When you buy a piece from my shop, you're getting a researched piece of history that celebrates the resilience and creativity of generations of makers